Method for producing gasoline



Aug. 9, 1938.

c. B. HILLHOUS E METHOD FOR PRODUCING GASOLINE Filed July 20, 1935 qF) F l 8 sq (bar/es .5; M71170 Patented Aug. 9, 1938 mews-[ms METHOD FOR PRODUCING GASOLINE.

Charles B. Hillhouse, New York, N. Y., assignor to Sylvia Remsen Hillhouse, New York, N. Y.

Application July 20,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a method for producing gasoline from petroleum, and more particularly to amethod of obtaining gasoline from hot oil Vapors or gas in an unstable form. a

Gasoline is made by maintaining a quantity of heated oil gases in motion at high velocity, and raising the temperature of these gases to and maintaining it at a gasoline producing temperature ofabout 1100 F.

One object of my invention is to provide a continuous process of convertinga maximum portion of petroleum into a gasoline or other'light derivative product without reliance upon the Well-known methods which depend upon distillation of the petroleum in bulk.

Another, object is to convert a portion of petroleum into gasoline in a'manner to present ama'ximum of surface of petroleum to contact with a body of hot oil'gas or combustible gas, the maximum surface being secured by atomizing the petroleum.

Another object is to maintain the temperature of the heated gases substantially constant While permitting, a definite control of ,this temperature throughouta, fixed practical jworking range and by means, of a"heat supply derived froman external sourcegpreferably electrical.

Another object 'i'sto provide a continuous process of producing gasoline that is simple, eificient, and relatively economical.

This application relates to my copending application Serial No. 61,071, filed January 27, 1936.

Other objects will appear in the specification which follows and in the accompanying drawing, wherein-- p Figure 1 is a schematic or conventional View, partly in section, of a gasoline generator;

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; l

' Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modification.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the method contemplated is preferably carried out by means f of an apparatus which comprises an auxiliary gas generator I, a gasoline generator 2 and a gasoline condenser 3 with an accompanying fractionating unit 4. The gas generator 1 comprises a mercury boiler 5 and a gas forming contact chamber 6. A gas burner l which is supplied with gas by a conduit 8 connected to the main gas cycle conduit, is arranged to heat the mercury boiler 5. If desired, a burner 9 may be provided and used as a heater to start the gas cycle. A pair of spaced concentric walls l0 and II provide the gas forming chamber 6. An inner concentric wall or cylinder I2 is spaced from the cylindrical wall H and spiral 1935 Serial No. 32,443-

ribs H are arranged between Walls H and 12 for a purpose to be described. Return mercuryis fed to boiler 5 by a pipe I4 and a pipe l5 serves to conduit mercury vaporto the top of the generator to be passed through a port it, then spirally around the wall I2 to a second port ll. The mercury vapor is condensed along this spiral path and the condensed mercury passes through port l'l and then downwardly through pipe Hi. Additional mercury can be supplied through a filler opening 58 and through a port l9 to the space within inner wall I2. I

The boiler 5 is arranged to heat the mercury to a temperature of about or above 800 F. and the temperature and pressure of this mercury vapor may be controlled in any well known manner. The gas cycle is maintained in quantity by means of a feed of partly heated oil sprayed through a nozzle 20. The gas cycle and sprayed oil are carried along by means of an impeller 2| operated by a motor 22. This oil spray admitted. before or after impeller 2| is mixed into a volume of heated gas or oil vapor in the cycle of sufficient quantity to furnish most of the heat required, as sensible heat, to gasify the oil sprayed into it without greatly lowering the temperature of the gas itself, while compensating heat is supplied to the gas and oil added as the current passes along the wall H of the mercury chamber. The gases pass up along wall II to the gas outlet 23, thence through a conduit 24 and a conduit 25. If desired, additional gas may be withdrawn at any 7 point in its cycle, but preferably at a point where the gas burner jets 26 are shown. The gas generator, in effect, provides a continuous closed replenishing cycle whereby, as fast as gas is consumed at outlets, more gas forming materials are supplied. A flue 27 is arranged to carry off products of combustion from burners l and 9.

My improved gasoline generator 2 is formed preferably by an inner conduit 28 of continuous ring'shape and an outer conduit 29 spaced from and concentric with the conduit 28 to provide a gasoline generating chamber 30 and a heat jacketing chamber 3| which willadd to the economy of the operation.

To begin the operation, hot'oil gas from generator I is passed to the chamber 30 through a conduit 35, through a control valve 36. A motor 31 and fan 38 serve to circulate this gas supp-1y. The supply of petroleum, preferably slightly heated, is by means of inlet pipe 39 and theatomizing jet 4|]. Petroleum supply is controlled by a valve 4|. I-Iot combustible gas from any other source would do as well as gas from generator I.

of hot gases and the other an electrical heating means. The principal supply of heat is by means of hot gases admitted to the chamber 3| through an inlet 42. This hot gas supply may be derived from any source desired and is preferably at a temperature of not over about 1200 F., and this temperature may be maintained or even raised by the controlled electric current. These hot gases, after passing through chamber 3|, are drawn off at outlet conduit 43.

In order to provide an auxiliary heating means of a type that may be more readily regulated, I form the conduit 28 preferably of a resistance alloy known to the trade as nichrome. This conduit may be heated electrically in either one of two Ways. As shown in Fig. 1, a heavy current is passed through the wall of this conduit, the current entering at plus terminal 44 and leaving at negative terminal 45. The conduit 28 may be heated also as shown in Fig. 3, by means of heating coils 46 that are arranged to surround the conduit wall, the current being supplied by leads 41.

A steam supply 48 may be used in the event it is desired to purge the chamber 30. The hot vapors are drawn oil through an outlet conduit 49 and are passed into the condenser 3 where the gasoline etc. vapors may be condensed. Then the gasoline is separated out by usual fractionating apparatus 4. When combustible gases are shut off at 36, the velocity in the current is maintained by suction pump 4a.

In order to automatically maintain a desired constant temperature in chamber 30 etc., I prefer to provide a temperature responsive device, for example, a carbon pile, 5! arranged to vary the current in the shunt field 52 of generator 53 which supplies the current to terminals 44 and 45. The field current is varied by device 5| in a from conduit 39 is due to contact of minute particles thereof with a larger volume of heated gases, it is contemplated that the supply of hot gas from inlet 35 may be reduced or entirely cut ofif by valve 36 whereby to rely solely upon the cycle or current of hot gases and gasoline vapors present in the chamber 30. A feature of economy in the operation of generator 30 is due to the fact that the main source of heat may be derived from the hot gaseous jacket 3| which, if desired, may be maintained somewhat below the conversion temperature, in which case the remaining heat necessary will be supplied automatically from electric current in the walls of conduit 28 or from the coils 46 shown in Fig. 3. If desired to better maintain currents in chamber 30, a second fan 38 may be driven by motor 31 and positioned in chamber 30 close to the chamber end of the conduit 35.

The provision of the endless chamber 30 with the heat supply jacket shown insures that the gases in chamber 30 will be maintained at the conversion temperature and, if desired, solely by an indirect supply of heat thereto. By the use of the auxiliary electrical supply of heat, an efficient control of the conversion temperature is provided.

A ready means of starting the operation is to fill the circulating chambers and connecting pipes with hot gases of combustion or hot combustible gases and raise them to oil-gas making temperature, that is, about 700 F., and in the gasolinemaking section to about 1100 F. When this is done, shut off the feed of hot gases for starting and begin spraying oil into the hot gases, and for gasoline making in the second stage, raise the oil gas from 700 F. to about 1100 F.

What I claim is:

The method of producing gasoline from petroleum which comprises supplying to a chamber a volume of hot combustible oil gases at about 750 F., causing said gases to flow over a closed path in a cycle and back to the point of entry thereof to the chamber, supplying heat to said gases indirectly throughout the length of the cycle at about 1100 F., spraying into said gases in atomized form a quantity of petroleum whereby said petroleum is converted into a light derivative of gasoline vapor, withdrawing said vapor from the chamber and condensing the vapor to a liquid form.

CHARLES B. HILLI-IOUSE. 

